prefix · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
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1
prefix
Meaning 1
Reflexive, regarding or to oneself.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: morpheme
Examples
auto- + biography → autobiography
auto- + erotic → autoerotic
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
prefix
Meaning 2
automatic
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: morpheme
Examples
auto- + focus → autofocus
auto- + loader → autoloader
auto- + walk → autowalk
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
prefix
Meaning 3
Self-propelled.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: morpheme
Examples
auto- + cab → autocab
auto- + car → autocar
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
prefix
Meaning 4
Relating to cars or the driving of cars.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: morpheme
Examples
auto- + cross → autocross
auto- + -phile → autophile
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h2ewder.? Proto-Indo-European *sóder.? Proto-Indo-European *h2ewder. Ancient Greek αὖ (aû) Ancient Greek τόν (tón)? Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós) Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-)lbor. English auto- Learned borrowing from Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-, “self-”).
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h2ewder.? Proto-Indo-European *sóder.? Proto-Indo-European *h2ewder. Ancient Greek αὖ (aû) Ancient Greek τόν (tón)? Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós) Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-) Proto-Indo-European *men- Proto-Indo-European *-tós Proto-Indo-European *mn̥tós Proto-Hellenic *mətós Ancient Greek αὐτόμᾰτος (autómătos) Ancient Greek αὐτόμᾰτον (autómăton)der. Classical Latin automatum New Latin automaticusbor. English automaticclip. English auto- Clipping of automatic.
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h2ewder.? Proto-Indo-European *sóder.? Proto-Indo-European *h2ewder. Ancient Greek αὖ (aû) Ancient Greek τόν (tón)? Ancient Greek αὐτός (autós) Ancient Greek αὐτο- (auto-)lbor. French auto- Proto-Indo-European *m(y)ewh1- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *-éyeti Proto-Indo-European *m(y)owh1éyetider. Proto-Italic *moweō Latin moveō Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr Proto-Indo-European *-dhlom Proto-Indo-European *-dhlis Proto-Italic *-ðlis Latin -bilis Latin mōbilislbor. French mobile French automobilebor. English automobileclip. English auto- Clipping of automobile (“self-propelled”), itself equivalent to auto- (“self”) + mobile. In later formations influenced by auto (“automobile”).
Across languages
Translations
107 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Afrikaans:
outo-
— regarding oneself
Albanian:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Aragonese:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Armenian:
ինքն
(inkʻn)
— regarding oneself
Armenian:
ավտո-
(avto-)
— regarding oneself
Asturian:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Azerbaijani:
avto-
— regarding oneself
Basque:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Belarusian:
аўта-
(awta-)
— regarding oneself
Bulgarian:
авто-
(avto-)
— regarding oneself
Catalan:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Czech:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Danish:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Danish:
selv-
— regarding oneself
Dutch:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Esperanto:
aŭto-
— regarding oneself
Estonian:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Finnish:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Finnish:
itse-
— regarding oneself
Finnish:
oma-
— regarding oneself
French:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Galician:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Georgian:
ავტო-
(avṭo-)
— regarding oneself
German:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Greek:
αυτο-
(afto-)
— regarding oneself
Ancient Greek:
αὐτό-
(autó-)
— regarding oneself
Hebrew:
אוֹטוֹ־
(oto-)
— regarding oneself
Hindi:
आत्म
(ātma)
— regarding oneself
Hungarian:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Ido:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Indonesian:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Indonesian:
swa-
— regarding oneself
Interlingua:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Italian:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Kazakh:
авто-
(avto-)
— regarding oneself
Northern Kurdish:
oto-
— regarding oneself
Kyrgyz:
авто-
(avto-)
— regarding oneself
Latin:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Latvian:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Lithuanian:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Macedonian:
авто-
(avto-)
— regarding oneself
Malay:
swa-
— regarding oneself
Maltese:
awto-
— regarding oneself
Norwegian Bokmål:
selv-
— regarding oneself
Norwegian Bokmål:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Norwegian Nynorsk:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Occitan:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Persian:
اتو
(oto-)
— regarding oneself
Persian:
خود
(xod-)
— regarding oneself
Polish:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Polish:
samo-
— regarding oneself
Portuguese:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Romanian:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Romanian:
ауто-
(auto-)
— regarding oneself
Russian:
авто-
(avto-)
— regarding oneself
Russian:
само-
(samo-)
— regarding oneself
Russian:
себе-
(sebe-)
— regarding oneself
Serbo-Croatian:
ауто-
— regarding oneself
Serbo-Croatian:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Sicilian:
autu-
— regarding oneself
Slovak:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Slovene:
avto-
— regarding oneself
Spanish:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Swedish:
auto-
— regarding oneself
Swedish:
själv-
— regarding oneself
Tagalog:
awto-
— regarding oneself
Tagalog:
sari-
— regarding oneself
Tagalog:
saril-
— regarding oneself
Tajik:
авто-
(avto-)
— regarding oneself
Turkish:
oto-
— regarding oneself
Turkmen:
awto-
— regarding oneself
Ukrainian:
авто-
(avto-)
— regarding oneself
Uzbek:
avto-
— regarding oneself
Yiddish:
אויטאָ־
(oyto-)
— regarding oneself
Armenian:
ինքն
(inkʻn)
— automatic
Bulgarian:
авто-
(avto-)
— automatic
Czech:
samo-
— automatic
Danish:
auto-
— automatic
Finnish:
auto-
— automatic
Finnish:
automaatti-
— automatic
Finnish:
automaattinen
— automatic
French:
auto-
— automatic
Greek:
αυτο-
(afto-)
— automatic
Ido:
auto-
— automatic
Italian:
auto-
— automatic
Korean:
자동
(jadong)
— automatic
Norwegian Bokmål:
auto-
— automatic
Norwegian Nynorsk:
auto-
— automatic
Polish:
auto-
— automatic
Polish:
samo-
— automatic
Portuguese:
auto-
— automatic
Russian:
авто-
(avto-)
— automatic
Serbo-Croatian:
ауто-
— automatic
Serbo-Croatian:
auto-
— automatic
Armenian:
ավտո-
(avto-)
— relating to cars or the driving of cars
Bulgarian:
авто-
(avto-)
— relating to cars or the driving of cars
Finnish:
auto-
— relating to cars or the driving of cars
French:
auto-
— relating to cars or the driving of cars
Greek:
αυτο-
(afto-)
— relating to cars or the driving of cars
Italian:
auto-
— relating to cars or the driving of cars
Norwegian:
auto-
— relating to cars or the driving of cars
Polish:
auto-
— relating to cars or the driving of cars
Polish:
samo-
— relating to cars or the driving of cars
Portuguese:
auto-
— relating to cars or the driving of cars
Russian:
авто-
(avto-)
— relating to cars or the driving of cars
Serbo-Croatian:
ауто-
— relating to cars or the driving of cars
Serbo-Croatian:
auto-
— relating to cars or the driving of cars